Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Julie and the Phantoms’ Madison Reyes

Madison Reyes was standing on the edge of great before landing her debut television role as the title character in Julie and the Phantoms. The musical series follows a young girl who loses her passion for music after her mom passes away, but with the help of three ghosts, she’s able to find her voice again.

Since its premiere last September, Madison has become the breakout star of 2020, showcasing her incredible talent as an actress, singer, songwriter, and dancer.

We had the pleasure of speaking with her about Julie and the Phantoms, how she and Julie shared similar experiences, and why representation is so important.

PC: What drew you to Julie and the Phantoms?
Madison: What truly drew me [to this project], besides of course her being an Latinx character, was the story. As a teenager who understands the whole unsureness, especially being in high school and not knowing what your true potential is and if you should follow this thing or follow that thing, being able to see this story about a girl who was going through a tough time in her life and finds a way to get through it was very interesting, especially with it being a kid show. The fact that this show was covering certain topics that I hadn’t seen covered yet, like grief and how to get through it as well as uncertainty, was really interesting to me.

I wanted to go for it because I’ve had a lot of friends who have firsthand experience with losing a parent, and I know how important it would have been for them to be able to see a friend of theirs portray a character like that and show them how to get through a tough time.

PC: What was your initial audition process like? How did you celebrate landing the role?
Madison: The first thing you had to do was a self-tape. It was two scenes and then you had to do a song of your choice, which you had to accompany yourself on if you were Julie. I did “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress. Then, if you got picked for a callback, you had to learn two songs. For Julie, you had to learn “Wake Up” and “Bright”. Then, you had to perform it with different guys as a band—they wanted to see if you had chemistry—and you had to do one scene. The scene was when Julie’s about to leave the garage and Luke poofs in front of her.

After we found out that I got cast, which was on the last day, I went to In-N-Out Burger with my dad. I hadn’t been out to LA since I was young, so being able to experience that at an age where I could remember it and actually experience it was a lot of fun. It was very good. Then, we went back to the hotel and we packed. The next day, we were on a plane back home. We went out to Applebee’s with the family, and we actually celebrated my sister passing a test, too. We’re very family-oriented and we celebrate any little achievement.

PC: It’s really hard to believe that this is your first television role. Did anything surprise you about the experience?
Madison: The thing that surprised me is how it all went. I know that definitely down the road, as I continue this career, that I’ll work with different actors, actresses, and directors. Going to art school, they prepare you that things are going to be scary and that you have to be a certain way in the audition process: you have to know your character, you have to make sure that you’re playing it, you have to make sure you’re doing method acting. But with this role, everything was so natural. It was a setting where it was always exciting and there wasn’t that pressure. Kenny [Ortega] made sure that there wasn’t any pressure, that we were all comfortable, and that we felt safe in an environment where we could be ourselves and get into these characters.

Another thing that Kenny was good at was casting people who are so like the characters. The thing that’s so fun about this is that I got myself mentally prepared to play someone totally different from me, but the cool thing about Julie is that I get to play myself. Knowing that girl on the screen is me means a lot because that means when people are relating to Julie, they’re relating to me. That’s what I want people to know. I’m an everyday teenager just like Julie, who has to go through certain experiences (like getting this role), but I don’t let that change me. That’s what so cool about Julie and the Phantoms—you have this girl who’s in the mix of this world where she has these ghosts, but she still stays grounded. She still keeps in this world where she has challenges that she has to face. She still cares about her family. She doesn’t just completely forget about the other world and go to that ghost world.

PC: Over the course of the first season, we get to see Julie rediscover her confidence and passion for music. How did you discover your own passion for the arts?
Madison: One thing that I talk about is the depression that you can fall in when you have to deal with societal pressures. As a teenager, there are these expectations of who you have to be. As you’re preparing to go to college, you have to worry about stuff like what college you’re going to go to and how you have to prepare to go into the real world. A lot of that can be scary.

My freshman year, I had to deal with the realization that there could be a possibility that I might not be able to follow my dreams because of my ethnicity or who I am, because they might not be looking for a girl like me. But also in my freshman year, I found my passion for music again, and that’s something that helped me heal. I was able to learn something new that I was passionate about and write music that helped me through tough times.

Eventually, I found Julie and the Phantoms. Her story was so similar to mine in what I was going through in that moment. Once I got cast, I started to find my light again and realized that I can do stuff. Now I get to use my story to inspire others, to tell them that it’s okay to go through those tough times. You’re human. It’s okay to feel, but you shouldn’t let that overcome you. You should still continue to push.

When I first heard “Wake Up”, it was my last day. We were getting ready to show Netflix, and I actually realized the true meaning of “Wake Up”. That’s the song that’s constantly helped me through those tough times, through COVID and quarantine, and the uncertainty of the world. I relate to the whole story of Julie, and she’s helped me through so much. I can’t thank her enough.

PC: The show does a fantastic job shining a light on difficult subject matters in a way that’s really sweet and relatable, and the audience has really resonated with that. What storyline of Julie’s has hit home for you the most?
Madison: Just how she grows throughout the show. We all grew as a band through the process of being able to perform live, learning the material, and learning how to become a better band together. Seeing her grow, especially that end moment where you see Julie is mentally prepared to perform by herself without the guys there, is beautiful. Seeing that growth and how it only takes talking to one person to change your whole path and your whole mindset is so inspiring.

PC: This character means a great deal to young girls who want to see themselves represented on screen. Did that bring any pressure to the role? What has it meant for you to pave the way for this next generation?
Madison: Without knowing exactly who would be watching the show, the person that I thought about the most was my younger sister and how I didn’t want her to have to experience that doubt that I experienced, not knowing if I could follow my dreams because of my ethnicity. Knowing that I could be a role model for her in such a big and impactful way was what kept me pushing through those hard days. I just thought about everybody who might watch the show, especially when we went to film “Wake Up”, and who might be looking for that sign to know that they can go out there and accomplish what they set their minds to. It’s definitely crazy that I get to be part of this legacy of strong, independent women of color, and women in general, who get to inspire younger girls to chase their dreams and be who they want to be.

PC: Your character is at the heart of the story. Which of her relationships was your favorite to explore in Season 1 and why?
Madison: The one that I, of course, experienced the most was the relationship with her and Luke [Charlie Gillespie], especially when we got to write “Perfect Harmony”. Writing one song with Charlie, I was like, “Wow. This is what they experience on a daily?” You really get to understand why their relationship is so deep and why they’re connected because music truly does bring people together. Seeing how we got to approach their mindset as friends and then realizing how they might have feelings for each other through the process of writing “Perfect Harmony” really made us feel connected to our characters. It was a lot of fun being able to get our song in the show and then getting to dance to it as well. It was like we had so much creative freedom.

PC: You can tell that the cast got really close through this process. We’ve also asked your cast members this: what’s one fun fact that fans would be surprised to learn about each of them?
Madison: Savannah [Lee May] is a sweetheart. I’m pretty sure everybody knows that already. She’s the sweetest girl ever. I know she plays Carrie in the show, but she’s nothing like Carrie.

Jeremy [Shada] is a literal golden retriever. He’s so sweet and so kind. He actually plays Lance in Voltron and Finn in Adventure Time—he’s the voice actor of those two characters.

Owen [Joyner], he’s truly funny. He’s truly his character when it comes to being funny. He and Charlie actually shared an apartment throughout the filming process.

Charlie has these weird food cravings. We already know that, though.

Jadah [Marie] is hilarious. I would like to see more of her and Julie’s relationship in Season 2 if we get picked up, because there’s not a second that I’m not laughing with her. She was also in the Descendants movies.

Sasha [Carlson] has an album out now! My favorite song on it is “Dangerous Woman”. You guys should definitely check it out.

PC: There’s so much room for this story to continue. If the series gets picked up for a second season, where do you want to see Julie’s storyline head?
Madison: I definitely want to see her interact more with Alex and Reggie and also learn more about how deep her relationship was with her mom, maybe get a few flashbacks to show their relationship. I’d like to see more interactions with her, Flynn, and Carrie. I want the tea on that because that’s very interesting. I need details as to what happened between those two girls.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Madison: Have you ever heard of RWBY? It’s an anime. I found out about it way back in fifth grade and I love that show so much. People should check it out because it’s very unknown, but the fan base is so big. It’s really good. I actually found out that they’re coming out with other seasons soon. I’ll be re-watching it again for the third time because I re-watch every time a new season comes out. It’s that or a show on Nickelodeon called Miraculous Ladybug, and at first, I was like, “this is a kid’s show.” I still watch it to this day and keep re-watching it.

PC: Favorite book?
Madison: Probably Alex Cross or Maximus Ride—that’s the first comic that I ever really got into. That was very good. If you’re into pictures, then that’s your book. If not, Alex Cross.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Madison: It’s between In the Heights or Waitress. I’ve seen Waitress and I love In the Heights. It’s so good, but there’s also Hamilton as well.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Madison: The first person who came to mind was Melanie Martinez or Set It Off. My music tastes are all over the place. You should see the songs that I have saved. I have the Tangled soundtrack and then The Little Mermaid from Broadway. There’s also Julie and the Phantoms and Panic! At The Disco. It’s all over the place.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Madison: I would want my sister to play me. When she came out to visit me in Vancouver, everyone was like, “Is that Maddie’s double?” I was like, “No, that’s my sister.” She’s younger than me, so I feel she could pull it off.

PC: Go-to karaoke song?
Madison: I don’t know why, but the only one that I can actually think of is “The Start of Something New” because that was a song that me and Charlie did for our go-to karaoke song, and I would sing that with anybody who wanted to.

To keep up with Madison, follow her on Instagram. Watch Season 1 of Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix today.

Photo Credit: Tory Rust